We all know that we're supposed to monitor our kids' computer use, but these days even preschoolers can effortlessly navigate their way around an iPad. That's why it's important to know how to track your kids' online activities and set up parental controls and filters even before they're old enough to get their own devices. Here's how to do it, from Growing Up Online, a free new interactive eBook about digital literacy and Internet Safety from NBC Universal's The More You Know Learning Series and iVillage's parent company NBC News. Learn more and download a free copy of the book -- which features smart tips from NBC News journalists Brian Williams, Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker and Dr. Nancy Snyderman -- at themoreyouknow.com.

Be Honest and Open With Your Kids
Some parents may feel uncomfortable about doing something that feels like spying on their kids. Spying implies secrecy and deception. But that's not what we're suggesting. This is not about policing your kids. If you're going to monitor their online activity, tell them what you're doing and why. You need to know where your kids have been online. But being honest and open about it will help maintain their trust.

Keep the Computer in Sight
One thing you can do is monitor their computer use. For instance, experts suggest keeping your home or family computer in a central location. That way, you'll know where and when your kids are online and how much time they're spending there. This will also make it more natural to talk with them about what they're doing. It is important to put some limits on the time your kids spend online. Talk with them to determine what those limits should be. How much time do they spend online every day? Do they have enough time to do their homework? Their extracurricular activities? Be aware of cell phones, laptops and tablets, too. Even though you can't always keep those in sight, you can check in on your kids to see what they're up to. You can also create separate login accounts for your kids that have more limited access to the web. And you have the ability to filter your kids' search results with features like Google's SafeSearch.

"When it comes to passwords, don't make them easy to guess."—Brian Williams, Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker NBC, Nightly News and TODAY

Check Your Child's Browsing History
Web browsers like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome or Safari usually have a clearly marked "History" tab that allows you to see exactly where your browser has been and what has been downloaded to your computer. And new operating systems, like Windows 8, have already begun instituting parental controls that allow you to check your child's browsing history no matter which browser you use.

To figure out how to use this on your particular browser, you can check out Common Sense Media or WebWise Kids. Or, watch this NetSmartz video. Sometimes your child may use a different web browser than you do. To be thorough, check all the browsers on your computer. Remember, though, that your kids are probably very Internet savvy and might already know how to delete their browser histories. So ask them where they've been. Encourage trust by being honest with them about your own activities in tracking their usage. Their safety is your priority.

The More You Know About... Private Browsing
If you're using a computer your kids can access, it's easy for them to visit sites you've been on. If you want to keep your own browsing history private, most browsers allow you to engage something called Private Browsing. In Private Browsing mode, no browsing history is visible. This can be a useful tool for parents who might want to visit sites on a shared computer that they don't want their kids to see. But… be sure to turn it off when you stop browsing, or it will also make your child's browsing invisible. Private browsing tools are usually easy to find. In Chrome and Firefox, they're in SETTINGS. In Microsoft Internet Explorer, they're under the SAFETY drop-down menus.

Who's Got the Cookies?
Another way to check on where your child has been online is to look at your computer's cookies. Cookies are files sent to your computer and saved there when you visit a website. This allows the website to know something about you when you return… a way for it to automatically keep track of your comings and goings. Cookies are files saved to your computer by a website so it knows something about you when you return. Even if you haven't filled out a form or given the website any personal information, unless you tell your computer not to accept cookies, websites can still send them to you. You can check your cookies by going on your browser and looking at your privacy settings. They will tell you which sites sent the cookies. You can also delete any cookies that were sent, either individually or en masse. Both New York University and Google have useful tutorials that can help.

The More You Know About... Cookies
Are all cookies bad? No. Cookies can enable you to sign onto your favorite websites more easily by remembering your name and where you've already been on the site. They can also help a website serve you better by remembering your preferences. That's one reason why you probably don't want to dump all your cookies without sorting through them and keeping the ones you want.

Did You Know That You Can Block Certain Sites or Parts of Sites From Appearing on Your Computer?
YouTube enables you to use its Safety Mode to screen out potentially objectionable content that you may prefer not to see… or don't want members of your family stumbling across. It does this by preventing many, but not all, of these videos from showing up in your children's video search. For more information, check out this tutorial or read this YouTube informational page. Parental controls have also been built into both the Windows and OS X operating systems. You can find out more about these on the Apple and Microsoft sites. And some Internet Service Providers, like Comcast or Time Warner Cable, offer parental control apps and programs that enable you to filter what sites your kids can access and monitor what they're doing online. You can also purchase these kinds of programs independently.

Both Apple and Microsoft Offer a Variety of Parental Control Features Including:
--Giving you remote access to what your child has been doing online
--Blocking specific sites
--Monitoring sites for objectionable content so they can be blocked when necessary

To check out these programs, refer to getnetwise.org, which provides information that will help you select the right one for your family. Remember: As kids become more sophisticated, they discover the many ways they can get around these controls. None of them is foolproof…so don't rely on them to do all the work. Talk with you kids. Your relationship with them is still the best way to keep them safe online.

The More You Know About… Where to Go for Help
What if you've done the best you can, but you think your kids are in danger or that a crime has been committed online? Don't hesitate. Contact your local law enforcement agency or try these resources for helpful tips and information.
--Cyber Crimes Center This is a division of Homeland Security that deals specifically with cyber crimes.
--Internet Crime Complaint Center It includes a hotline and instructions about how to file a complaint, as well as other useful information.
--CyberTipline This is a Congressionally-mandated site on which to report online crimes against children. The CyberTipline is operated by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and accepts reports of child endangerment online.

To learn more and download the eBook, visit The More You Know.

Kids who suffer a concussion may have a substantially slower recovery if they've sustained one or more blows to the head in the past, a new study finds.

Researchers report that among 280 kids and young adults who sustained a concussion over one year, those who'd suffered one in the past took twice as long to recover -- typically 24 days, versus 12 days for kids with no history of concussion.

What's more, the number of past concussions, and the timeframe of kids' head injuries, appeared key. Young people who'd sustained a concussion in the past year had a prolonged recovery from the current one -- typically 35 days.

Recovery was also slower for those who'd had two or more concussions in the past, at any time. It typically took 28 days for their symptoms to fully resolve.

Experts said the findings, reported online June 10 and in the July print issue ofPediatrics, have implications for managing kids' head injuries.

When they have had multiple concussions, or a relatively recent one, parents and doctors should probably be "extra cautious" about letting them back into sports, said lead researcher Dr. Matthew Eisenberg, of Boston Children's Hospital.

Sports are a major cause of young people's concussions -- and accounted for almost two-thirds of those in this study. In general, experts say those kids should not get back into the game until all of their symptoms have resolved, and a health professional gives them the OK.

So be even more patient when a youngster has a history of concussions, Eisenberg said. That means not only waiting until any symptoms go away to get active again, but gradually moving back into the normal routine.

"You do not want them to go from zero to 60," Eisenberg said.

That gradual return is important any time an athlete has had a concussion. But it's probably even more vital with repeat concussions, agreed Keith Yeates, chief of pediatric psychology and neuropsychology at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

"It's been part of the medical lore, this idea that multiple concussions are 'bad,' and having a repeat concussion within a short amount of time is bad," Yeates said. But this study, he added, helps confirm that.

One of the big remaining questions, though, is whether kids with repeat concussions suffer any long-term consequences, Yeates said.

"We don't know if there are any effects on long-term cognition or memory," study author Eisenberg agreed. There have been reports that professional athletes who suffer blows to the head may be at heightened risk of degenerative brain diseases later on. A recent study found increased risks of Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrig's disease in retired pro football players, for example.

But Eisenberg pointed out that those athletes are routinely exposed to high-impact collisions. No one knows if kids' concussions, even repeat ones, would translate to health effects down the road.

According the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 173,000 U.S. children and teens land in the ER each year because of a concussion sustained in sports or recreational activities, like bike riding.

Concussion symptoms include headache, dizziness, nausea, ringing in the ears, fatigue and confusion -- though these problems may not become noticeable until hours after the jolt to the head. And contrary to popular belief, concussions usually do not involve loss of consciousness.

The current findings are based on 280 11- to 22-year-olds treated at the Boston Children's ER for a concussion. Of these, 21 patients had a concussion within the past year; and typically, Eisenberg's team found, their recovery from the current injury was three times longer, versus the recovery times of kids who'd never had a concussion before.

It's not clear, though, whether that high-risk time window actually lasts a whole year. "We need to figure out, more specifically, what the vulnerable window is," Eisenberg said. "Is it one month? Is it three months? We don't know."

Both Eisenberg and Yeates said they are big supporters of sports and exercise, and they would not want parents to keep their kids out of activities over concussion fears.

But both also said that if your child has suffered more than one concussion in a particular sport, it may be time to think about changing to a different activity.

"We don't know what the long-term risks might be," Yeates said. "But since we don't know, it seems best to be conservative and assume it's not good for kids to have multiple concussions."

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has about concussions and sports.

SOURCES: Matthew Eisenberg, M.D., emergency medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston; Keith Yeates, Ph.D., chief, pediatric psychology and neuropsychology, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio; July 2013 Pediatrics

Last Updated: June 10, 2013

Health News Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Soft cheese and raw produce have caused many recent listeria outbreaks in the United States, and at least 90 percent of cases typically occur among seniors, pregnant women, newborns and people with weakened immune systems, a new U.S. health report says.

Pregnant women are 10 times more likely to get this serious form of food poisoning than others in the general population, and the risk is 24 times higher among pregnant Hispanic women, according to the Vital Signs report, released Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

People aged 65 and older are four times more likely to get listeria infection than those in the general population, said the CDC researchers who analyzed 2009-2011 data on listeria illness rates and foods associated with listeria outbreaks.

"Listeria strikes hard at pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, sending many to the hospital and causing miscarriage or death in as many as one in five," CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said in an agency news release.

"We need to develop new cutting-edge molecular technologies to help us link illnesses and outbreaks to foods faster to prevent illness and death, which is why the President's budget proposes investing in new tools to advance this work," Frieden added.

The findings highlight the need to educate people about how to prevent listeria infections, the report stated.

More than 1,650 listeria illnesses were reported to the CDC during the three-year study period, the report authors found.

About 20 percent of the infections caused a death, most of which occurred among seniors or as miscarriages or stillbirths. Pregnant women with listeria infections often have only mild symptoms or a fever, but their infections can result in miscarriage, premature labor and serious illness or death in their newborns, the report noted.

Twelve listeria outbreaks sickened 224 people in 38 states over the study period. These outbreaks included the large 2011 outbreak linked to cantaloupes from one farm. Of the 10 outbreaks with an identified food source, six were linked to soft cheese (mostly Mexican-style cheeses) and two to raw produce (whole cantaloupe and pre-cut celery).

Improved technology and regulatory changes led to a 25 percent drop in rates of listeria illness in the United States between the 1990s and early 2000s, largely because of changes affecting meat and poultry. But declining rates have since leveled off, and this report shows the need for additional measures to further reduce consumers' risk of developing listeria illness from foods, the CDC authors noted.

No one should drink unpasteurized milk or eat soft cheese made from unpasteurized milk, and hot dogs should be cooked until they're steaming hot, the CDC states. Also, proper cleaning, storage and refrigeration can help prevent listeria outbreaks.

More information

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration outlines how to keep listeria out of your kitchen.

-- Robert Preidt

SOURCE: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, news release, June 4, 2013

Last Updated: June 04, 2013

Health News Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

The royal auntie-to-be Pippa Middleton is known on these shores as a poised style icon. But in Britain, she's a controversial tabloid fixture, stemming from what many called obvious advice that she doled out in her party planning book Celebrate. Naturally, a mean-but-funny parody twitter account painting Pippa as an out-of-touch dim bulb who's coasting on her name sprung up (sample tweet: Learning can be a fulfilling experience, you can learn by finding out things you didn't know before). And now the folks behind @pippatips are apparently putting out a new book, What to Expect When One's Expecting: A Posh Person's Guide to Pregnancy and Parenting.

The book is packed with tips to help navigate the rarified world of upper-crust parenthood, although the source behind them is a closely-guarded secret. Here's a preview, via The Daily Mail:

--Giving birth can smart a bit, so relieve the pain by taking every drug you're offered. It is, however, considered bad form to bring your own.
--If you're pregnant, your boss should let you take maternity leave. This is so you can take a holiday and oversee Nanny as they start their new role.
--Double-barrelled names require extra thought. Good examples include: Henrietta Rodgers-Thomas, Will Cooke-Bacon, Lottie Knockton-Wood, Tabitha Faulds-Coates, Binky Bowles-Balls, Alexander Irons-Curtain, Beatrice Brakes-Water, Henry Banks-Wise-Lee, Hugh Luvsya-Baby.
--Around now is a good time to sort out your birth plan. A birth plan mainly consists of planning how you would like to give birth.

The book is scheduled to be published in June…just in time for sister Kate's July baby!

Mom of two Sasha Emmons is a writer and editor. Follow her on Twitter and Google+.

Want to keep everyone cool this summer? Make popsicles for your kids! They're easy, refreshing and tasty enough that you and the hubs will want to eat them, too. Try one -- or all of of them -- before summer is over.

Is there anything better than a great first kiss? All the anticipation and the butterflies, paired with a sudden rush to your head -- it's often pretty magical and sometimes even marks the start of a new relationship.

But sometimes, the most memorable kisses are the bad ones, in all their slippery, toothy, onion-breath glory. From the most irritating celebrity couples (hello, Selena and the Biebs) to some of our favorite TV moments (work it, Liz Lemon), we've compiled a list of the most hilarious, nauseating and downright awkward moments in makeout history. Get ready to laugh, cringe and most likely -- both!

Virgin Diaries

City That Breeds

 

30 Rock

Gurl.com

 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

Gurl.com

 

The Office

Funny or Die

 

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez

Pop Crush

 

Jersey Shore

Blah Bethany

 

Superstar

Buzzfeed

 

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

MTV

 

Dumb and Dumber

Pop Hangover

 

Saturday Night Live: Jason Segel

Square Hippies

 

Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Tumblr

 

Kathy

incomparablyme.tumblr.com

 

SNL: The Kissing Family

Buzzfeed

 

Saturday Night Live: Louis C.K.

The Atlantic Wire

 

30 Rock

Giphy

 

Go Daddy Superbowl Ad

Kotaku

 

Community

Pajiba

 

Sex and the City

Gurl.com

 

Sophisticated scans reveal that soccer players who head the ball a lot show changes in the white matter of their brain that mirror those seen in traumatic head injuries.

In addition, they face a higher risk of developing thinking and memory problems, the researchers report.

"We looked at the relationship between heading and changes in the brain and changes in cognitive functions [thinking and memory], and we found that the more heading people do, the more likely we are to find microscopic structural abnormalities in the brain, and they're more likely to do poorly on cognitive tests, particularly in terms of memory," said study author Dr. Michael Lipton, associate director of the Gruss Magnetic Resonance Research Center at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and medical director of magnetic resonance imaging at Montefiore Medical Center, both in New York City.

However, Lipton noted, "We cannot say heading caused these changes. We found an association, but in no way can we infer causation. You need a longitudinal study that follows people over time to prove causation."

Results of the study were released online June 11 in the journal Radiology.

Soccer is the world's most popular sport. More than 265 million people play the game worldwide, and heading is a common move in soccer. Heading a soccer ball means using your head instead of your feet to play the ball. In competitive games, players head the ball between an average of six and 12 times, according to background information in the study. In this elite level of play, the ball can travel at velocities of 50 miles per hour or more, according to the study.

This isn't the first study to link heading and changes in the white matter in the brain. In an issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association late last year, Harvard researchers compared soccer players to swimmers, and found changes in the white matter in soccer players.

White matter is the communication network in the brain; it sends messages between neurons (gray matter).

For the current study, Lipton and his colleagues recruited 37 adult amateur soccer players. Their ages ranged from 21 to 44 years old, and the average age was nearly 31. Twenty-eight of the volunteers were men. They played at least one competitive game of soccer each week, and practiced an average of two times a week, according to Lipton. Most had been playing since they were kids.

All underwent a special imaging technique called diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging that produces detailed images that show microscopic changes in the white matter of the brain.

The players also filled out a questionnaire about such factors as frequency of heading and prior concussions, and completed a number of tests to measure their thinking and memory skills.

The researchers found that there appears to be a threshold for harm from heading. Below that threshold, there wasn't as much risk, but there was significantly more risk of brain changes above it. In this study, the threshold was between 885 and 1,550 headers a year for brain changes, and higher than 1,800 headings a year for changes in memory scores.

Lipton said these findings were independent of past concussions.

"People can take some degree of trauma. Not everyone who bumps their head on a cabinet will have concussion symptoms. The question is how much does it take to have a lasting injury? And, that remains an open question, especially in children," said Lipton.

Because kids' brains are developing, they might be more susceptible to injuries, noted Lipton. But, on the other hand, he pointed out, children's brains are also quite adaptable and can recover more easily from conditions such as stroke than adult brains can.

One expert noted that the study showed that even minor insults to the brain can have lasting effects.

"This study shows that even if you don't have a concussion or a noticeable injury, if you look close enough at the brain, you can see changes. The evidence from these adults seems reasonably compelling that these minor heading events accumulate over time," said Dr. Michael Bell, director of pediatric neurocritical care at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

For parents who may be wondering if they should keep their kids from heading soccer balls, Lipton said the evidence isn't clear-cut enough yet to make a firm recommendation one way or the other.

"Parents have to weigh the evidence and make their own decisions. Our study provides very preliminary evidence that lines up with many of the concerns that parents have, but that needs to be balanced against the fact that this isn't yet a closed book," Lipton said.

Bell agreed, and added a counterpoint.

"The data is evolving, and any sort of mild traumatic brain injury may have consequences we don't understand yet," Bell said, adding that parents also have to remember that they don't want to discourage their children from being physically active, because a sedentary lifestyle has other health risks.

More information

Learn more about mild brain injuries from the Brain Injury Association.

SOURCES: Michael Lipton, M.D., Ph.D., associate director, Gruss Magnetic Resonance Research Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and medical director, magnetic resonance imaging, Montefiore Medical Center, New York City; Michael Bell, M.D., director, pediatric neurocritical care, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; June 11, 2013,Radiology, online

Last Updated: June 11, 2013

Health News Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

A new portrait of Kate Middleton is causing quite a stir, but this time, it's not for unattractively aging her 10 years. Artist Kaya Mar has unveiled a painting of the Duchess of Cambridge nursing a chubby naked baby who is wearing a crown.

The artist, who depicted Kate with tattered socks and a halo, says he's making a comment about class. "It's satire," he told Yahoo! Shine. "I don't have anything against Kate Middleton, but I'm using her as a metaphor for how our society elevates people into icons. Before she met William, she was a commoner. Now, people worship her."

Naturally, the reception has not been warm; some are calling this portayal of the royal mom-to-be an insult and inappropriate. On a happy note, most commenters take issue with the painting's creepy proportions and not the fact that she's breastfeeding. The palace itself says it does not comment on portraits that are not officially commissioned.

We're not sure what we think of it as a piece of art, but we love the idea of Kate breastfeeding in public and the positive example that it would set for nursing moms. Here's to hoping the royal mom-to-be will be comfortable nursing anywhere and anytime once her baby is born.

Mom of two Sasha Emmons is a writer and editor. Follow her on Twitter and Google+.

We love it when Beyonce shares a pic of daughter Blue Ivy, now 17 months old, on her Tumblr. Bey and husband Jay-Z are fairly private as celebrity parents, so it's fun to see how she's growing up.

But a recent photo, while gorgeous and touching, had us wondering. The black-and-white snap shows Bey and her daughter snuggling…in a hot tub. Most hot tubs do not allow children under 12, and there's a reason: according to the AAP's HealthyChildren.org, babies and young children can overheat and should never use them. Hot tubs are also not advised for pregnant women, according to the American Pregnancy Association. So there's further confirmation that Beyonce is not pregnant…not that we needed it. 

Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal may play a superhero’s leading lady -- but in real life, she’s a superhero mom of two daughters, 7-year-old Ramona and 13-month-old Gloria. Her latest battle is to help keep kids safe by teaming up with Johnson & Johnson in honor of the 125th Anniversary of the First-Aid Kit: This summer, when you purchase three or more J&J first-aid products at major retailers, the company will make a donation to Safe Kids Worldwide, an organization which works to prevent childhood injuries.

We sat down with Gyllenhaal to talk about how she gets out the door with two girls, why she thought she'd be the perfect mom and why her kids make her literally laugh out loud:

What’s the hardest part about getting out the door with your two girls?
At this point, it’s probably getting everything ready for the baby. When I take just my older daughter out, it feels so easy. She’s really a kid now -- you don’t need to bring a change of clothes for her. The likelihood that she’s going to need a change is pretty much as likely as I’m going to need a change of clothes. But with the baby, you need snacks, diapers, a water bottle, a regular bottle in case maybe she’s going to take a nap and a blanket. Keeping the diaper bag full of all the things that I know I’m going to need helps. That makes my life so much easier. 

What is the biggest difference between being a mom of one and a mom of two?
I’m more relaxed. One thing I really learned with Ramona that’s helped me with Gloria is that there will be pain in her life. There will be disappointment. With Ramona, I never ever let her cry -- I picked her right up. I have let Gloria cry now and then. Of course you have to be really conscious of what they can manage because they’re so little, but they can manage a little disappointment.

I had this fantasy when I was 28 when Ramona was born that I was going to be this perfect, amazing mother. And I’m not -- and I don’t think there’s any such thing. I think mothering is designed to humble you and show you how little you know. I also think it’s designed to teach you about love and learning about love is incredibly painful. The prize is amazing -- the love itself -- but gaining love can be really hard.

What has surprised you as a mother?
The fact that discipline and clear boundaries is actually something that I think children want was a surprise to me, and how much it calms them down to say: “No, you can never do that. And I’m not going to sometimes let you do it because that’s more confusing. You can never do that. And then when you’re this age, you can.”

My parents were really easygoing and would take us everywhere and we’d just like fall asleep in restaurants and I find that that really feels discombobulating for my kids. I think they want to be in their beds at night and everybody is happier. But at the same time, we’re traveling all the time and moving them around and so I have to be really careful about having a routine they can rely on.

What’s the most fun thing about being a mom?
Ramona is now at an age that I remember being. It’s fun to see, and it brings me back to that time to do some of the things that interest her or excite her. This is kind of a cheesy thing to say, but it’s true: Grown-ups don’t really make me laugh out loud that much. Now and then. But kids, way more often you find yourself really laughing with them. 

Lindsay Tigar is iVillage's associate parenting editor. Follow her Twitter, Pinterest and Google+. Read her blog here.

More and more of the cheapie-chic clothing stores you love are coming out with equally chic (and cheap) kids' lines. We've rounded up the best web sources for uber-stylish kids clothes, like Zara, H&M, UNIGLO and Forever21 to tell you what they have and how much you'll spend.

Zara
The kids' section of this uber-trendy store carries some of the coolest boy and girl looks we've seen anywhere, from baby up to size 13 to 14. This is the spot to score Crewcuts-esque dresses and sparkly dress-up shoes to match -- we totally wish they came in our size. The best part: Nothing's over $60.

Forever 21
The teenybopper store you secretly shop at also has a tween girls line called Forever 21 Girl, sizes 6 to 14. You'll find statement-making jackets, cool tees, and jeans in the cut and wash of the season. Many items are priced under $20.

H&M
You love H&M as a spot to try out trends without breaking the bank, and you'll love the kids section (0 to 14) for the same reason. The Swedish superstore is particularly great with shoes and accessories, and always has cute selection of undies. The kids section, with hardly anything priced over $20, is also infused with a lot of character clothing (think Hello Kitty, Angry Birds and Lightning McQueen), so get ready for begging if you take the kids.

UNIQLO
The Japanese retailer launched their kids line in 2012 and has featured cool collaborations with designers like Karen Walker and Green Gate ever since. The regular line features a wide range of graphic tees, sturdy jeans and loungewear. The company’s signature light poly fill down puffy down coats are also available in sizes 3 to 11 for under $30.

RUUM
American Eagle's 77Kids line has become RUUM, and it's a great place to score a slew of swimsuits for summer, as well as loungewear, accessories and shoes, size baby to 14. The robust sale section has items for as long as $1.49.

Crazy 8
This less-expensive line from Gymboree showcases matching outfits just like its higher-priced sister store -- great for the mom who doesn't want to spend time mixing and matching. Sizes are available in newborn to 14, as well as plus and slim. Free shipping is available for orders over $75.

Target
The store that has everything not surprisingly carries a huge selection of baby and kids clothes from brands like Cherokee, C9 by Champion and Harajuku Mini (Gwen Stefani's kid line), too. You can also find dancewear here. Free shipping is yours with a Target credit card.

Overstock
Don't forget Overstock! It can be hit or miss, but check often for deals on baby and kid clothes from Calvin Klein, Sweet Jojo, and AnnLoren.

JCPenney
If you haven't been to JCPenney in a while, it's time to look again. You'll find surprisingly on-trend looks for boys and girls, ages baby to 16, as well as slim and plus sizes. The store also carries kid looks from Levis, Nike, and Arizona.

Old Navy
Parents of boys know that this is the best place to find affordable (and official) kids' MLB and NFL sports T-shirts. The store also carries a wide range of fun retro graphic tees for boys as well as bright cotton dresses for girls and sweet looks for Baby.

Sure, our husbands are caring, hard-working dads -- but they're also pretty easy on the eyes, too. That's why we host our annual Hot Dads Contest -- so we can pay tribute to the guys we've been married to for years who somehow have become even hotter, post-babies.

This year's Hot Dads Contest received a record 1,500 entries in nine categories and a whopping 150,000 votes. Our star panel of judges including E! host Giuliana Rancic, Patch chief content officer Rachel Feddersen, TODAY Moms senior editor Rebecca Dube and iVillage editorial director, Liz Zack, narrowed down the competition to nine seriously hot category winners.

But the most smoking dad of all was Andrew Ungaro, a 37-year-old dad of two from Virginia who today was named this year’s Hottest Dad in America on the TODAY Show with Kathie Lee & Hoda Kotb. He’ll celebrate his big win with a week-long all-expenses paid vacation for two to Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina, along with a $250 spa credit. (They'll celebrate 19 years of marriage next year -- so it's a second honeymoon!)

From California to Florida, meet the Hottest Dad in America, along with the eight runners-up below.
 

Hottest Dad in America and Hottest Military Dad

Marley Ungaro

Meet the Family: Andrew and Marley Ungaro and their two children, Langley and Grey.
Where They're From: Portsmouth, Virginia
What They Do: Andrew is a Navy Medical Officer, Marley is an artist.
Why Marley Entered Him: "He’s a really hard-working man and he doesn’t stop when he gets home -- he’s always building something for us or for the kids."

Hottest Dad in His 20s

Shannon Bernard-Libby

Meet the Family: Deon and Shannon Libby and their two sons, Deon Jr. and Isaiah.
Where They're From: Miami, Florida
What They Do: Deon is a personal banker at Chase, currently working on his MBA; Shannon works at Nordstrom's.
Why Shannon Entered Him: "Well, he's gorgeous, of course! He's also an amazing father who works hard to provide for our family, all while going to school, too."
 

Hottest Dad in His 30s

Julie Emanuel

Meet the Family: David and Julie Emanuel and their daughter, Taylor.
Where They're From: San Francisco, California
What They Do: David is the founder of the Medlert (a medical emergency response application for individuals suffering from high-risk medical conditions), Julie is a consultant at Atalanta Partners.
Why Julie Entered Him: "He’s an amazing dad. I never wanted kids until I met him; I never met someone I wanted to share that experience with. From the first doctor’s appointment on, he's been so hands-on."

Hottest Dad Over 40

Farrah Farthing

Meet the Family: Harry and Farrah Farthing and their two children, Eden and Isla.
Where They're From: Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
What They Do: Harry is a writer; Farrah is a stay-at-home mom.
Why Farrah Entered Him: "We both had really stressful careers when we met in Europe while doing investments for American companies. When we got married and I got pregnant with our first daughter, he changed his life for our family. He resigned from his job, he moved to Charleston and decided to take a year off. But instead of going back to his old career, he’s been writing his first novel from home and we're able to really parent our two children 50/50. He's just the best dad and husband, ever."

Hottest Tattooed Dad

Julia Mehl

Meet the Family: Eric and Julia Mehl and their son, Wesley.
Where They're From: Indianapolis, Indiana
What They Do: Eric is an aquatics manager and carpenter; Julia is a stay-at-home mom.
Why Julia Entered Him: "He works so hard for our family so I can be a stay-at-home mom for our son and he deserves to be recognized for all of the amazing things he brings to our lives."

Hottest Fireman/Policeman Dad

Jaime Shelton

Meet the Family: Jeff and Jaime Shelton and their two sons, Nathan and Dylan.
Where They're From: Van Nuys, California
What They Do: Jeff is a SWAT Sergeant at LAX and the author of Golda, a book about bullying. Jeff and Jaime also started Auptimism.org, a non-profit for families in California who have children on the autism spectrum.
Why Jaime Entered Him: "I love my husband. We're best friends, we're partners, we work together for our two autistic boys. It's not always easy, but he always makes time to give them the attention they need, even if he's worked an 80-hour shift." 

Hottest Newbie Dad

Alexandra Gibson

Meet the Family: Brendan and Alex Gibson and their two daughters, Page and Sienna.
Where They're From: Los Gatos, California
What They Do: Brendan is a software engineer for Netflix; Alex is a stay-at-home mom.
Why Alex Entered Him: "He’s so cute and I thought it might really embarrass him! But really, he’s such a good dad -- he's so patient, sweet and kind-hearted." 

Hottest Dad With Facial Hair

Jessica Kennedy

Meet the Family: Andrew and Jessica Kennedy and their daughter, Reagan -- with another one on the way! 
Where They're From: Indialantic, Florida
What They Do: Andrew is a leather worker; Jessica is a stay-at-home mom.
Why Jessica Entered Him: "I thought it would be funny and of course, he's a great dad!"

Hottest Single Dad

Jenny Maas

Meet the Family: Michael and his two daughters, Audrey and Katherine
Where They're From: Columbia, Missouri
What They Do: Michael works in sales and marketing.
Why his friend Jenny Entered Him: "He's a hard-working single dad who loves his daughters so much!"

Lindsay Tigar is iVillage's associate parenting editor. Follow her Twitter, Pinterest and Google+. Read her blog here.

As a 26-second moment of silence was observed today for the 26 members of our school community lost on December 14, 2012, my son walked along a sandy shoreline with his cousins. It was chilly, but I wanted to begin the next six months of our lives in a place we love, surrounded by people we love.

My daughter sat on my lap on a beach chair. It wasn't that unlike that morning six months ago, when she sat beside me on the couch. I was working on a magazine article that was due that day. She was watching a morning cartoon while eating her breakfast.

It was just so normal. Until it wasn't.

The minutes this morning ticked by and I was struck by how long those moments can feel as I waited for 9:38 to come -- the time when the shooting stopped. By then, it was over. We'd lost 26 members of our school community, and help had arrived.

My son survived. In his classroom just across the hall -- steps from Victoria Soto's classroom -- he huddled with classmates and his teacher. And they survived. I thank God every day for that.

Six months later, we've found a new normal here in Sandy Hook. Our locked down campus is a source of comfort. The presence of police officers who guard the drive into the campus, checking passes and IDs, are a welcome site. Inside the school and on the playground, other officers are always there, always watching, always protecting. Mental health professionals are always on hand, helping kids work through the difficulties associated with the trauma they experienced.

We're okay.

Beyond the school yard, we've become a stronger, tighter-knit community. Sandy Hook and greater Newtown has always been a wonderful place to raise children. But over the last six months, it's been heartening to feel everyone come together for the good of the kids.

As my kids and our cousins roamed the beach this morning, I smiled. It's time to open a new chapter -- one that begins with love and joy, and honors the memories of those we lost.

But we must never forget those 26 beautiful souls lost that morning. We need to remember their names, and honor their memories. Charlotte Bacon. Daniel Barden. Rachel D’Avino. Olivia Engel. Josephine Gay. Ana M. Marquez-Greene. Dylan Hockley. Dawn Hochsprung. Madeleine Hsu. Catherine Hubbard. Chase Kowalski. Jessie Lewis. James Mattioli. Grace McDonnell. Anne Marie Murphy. Emilie Parker. Jack Pinto. Noah Pozner. Caroline Previdi. Jessica Rekos. Avielle Richman. Lauren Rousseau. Mary Sherlach. Victoria Soto. Benjamin Wheeler. Allison Wyatt.

The school year will come to a close next week -- a welcome ending to the hardest school year we've ever experienced. But the impact of December 14 won't disappear. It's something that will influence our lives forever.

Earlier this week, Newtown schools all had another lockdown. A threat had been made to another of our elementary schools, and officials worked swiftly to ensure that kids in all the schools in Newtown were protected. When the bulletin splashed onto my television screen at the same moment that an email from our superintendent came, it felt like I was back in December. My body shook with sobs, as it struck me deeply. Even though I knew everything was okay, it still took me right back.

Being Sandy Hook -- being Newtown -- has made our small, quaint town the recipient of so much love and kindness over the last six months. We were embraced by the nation, and I cannot begin to explain how heartwarming it is to truly feel the love in the hardest parts of our days. I can't begin to thank the nation and the world for the kindness we were showered with.

But that same designation has also made us a target for cruel people who try to add to our grief and trauma with threats, faulty hoax theories and unkind opinions about why this happened. Fortunately, love trumps all. In the end, the empty ugliness means nothing when we are surrounded by so much love.

Here in Sandy Hook, we've embraced the saying "We are Sandy Hook. We choose love," and my family tries to live it daily. It would have been so easy to fall into anger and hate, but what we really needed was healing -- and love helps us find it.

Today, take a minute to hug someone you love. Do a random act of kindness. Act in love to honor those 26 beautiful souls we lost. As our Principal Dawn Hochsprung said, "Be nice to each other. It's really all that matters."

Sarah W. Caron is a writer and mom of two in Sandy Hook, CT. Follow her on Twitter and at Google +.

Read more:
A Sandy Hook Mom Shares Her Terror: "It Wasn't Just a Shooting Anywhere; It Was Our School"
What I Wish I Could Tell My 7-Year-Old About the Boston Attacks
Mother's Day in Sandy Hook: "I'll Hold My Kids Tighter This Year"

Forget everything you love and know about the beach: having a baby or toddler on vacation changes everything. He'll eat the sand, you'll need a tent (trust us!), and you're not actually going to get to lounge for more than five minutes. But don’t worry, it’s not all bad! Here’s what you need to know about taking your babe to the beach -- and how to make it a great experience for the whole family.

Some of our favorite celeb Dads -- like Jay-Z and Chris Martin -- have made us swoon over their sweet serenades to their cute kiddos. In honor of Father’s Day, here are our top 10 favorite songs from celeb Dads to their kids.

"Glory featuring B.I.C." by Jay-Z
We love that this song features the cries of little Blue Ivy Carter -- credited as B.I.C. -- recorded within a day of her birth. "Glory" also reveals some pretty personal information, including that the couple suffered a previous miscarriage, and that little Blue was conceived in Paris.
 
"I Am Your Baby's Daddy" by Coldplay (a.k.a. The Nappies)
Chris Martin and his Coldplay bandmates debuted their alter egos -- The Nappies -- in the week following the birth of Martin's daughter, Apple, with Oscar-winning wife Gwyneth Paltrow. Lyrics include, "I'll be there with you, baby, through the thin and the thick, I'm gonna clean up all the poo and the sick." 
 
"Harlow's Song" by Joel Madden
Madden intended to keep the tender lullaby "Harlow’s Song" for his family's ears only -- including wife Nicole Richie --  but once brother Benji heard it he insisted they include it on their next CD. 
 
"Flowers for Zoe" by Lenny Kravitz
Kravitz was clearly over the moon when daughter Zoe made her debut in 1988 with then-wife Lisa Bonet. He wrote a sweet song named "Zoe's Lullaby," which reached the charts when re-released in 1991 under the name "Flowers for Zoe."
 
"Ready, Set, Don’t Go" by Billy Ray Cyrus
Long before she was a tween queen and Hannah Montana launched her into superstardom, Miley Cyrus was the star of a song by dad Billy Ray Cyrus.
 
"With Arms Wide Open" by Creed
This Florida-based band scored a mega-hit with this song written by lead singer Scott Stapp, who emotionally sang about how he felt when he heard he would become a father. "I'll take a breath, I'll stand by her side. We stand in awe, we created life."
 
"Beautiful Boy" by John Lennon
Years later, this is still a moving song expressing his love for his young son Sean. Lyrics like "Everyday, in every way, it's getting better and better," take on extra poignancy when you consider that Sean was only 5 years old when his father died.
 
"Sail to the Moon" by Radiohead
Radiohead might have become a household name with the dark song "Creep," but the band showed a softer side with this song, which lead singer Thom Yorke said he wrote for his son Noah. It appeared on "Hail to the Thief," their sixth album.
 
"(Lullaby) Goodnight My Angel" by Billy Joel
Sure it's a little schmaltzy, but that's what you've got to love about the Piano Man. Billy Joel wrote this hit song for daughter Alexa in 1993.

"Things" by Barenaked Ladies
Fatherhood had such a profound effect on the members of this Canadian band that they not only wrote a song about it -- but an entire album of kids songs. The catchy CD Snacktime features the lovely "Things," a simple and sweet ode to their children.

For dads aiming at marital bliss, a new study suggests just two factors are especially important: being engaged with the kids, for sure -- but also doing a fair share of the household chores.

In other words, just taking the children outside for a game of catch won't cut it.

"In our study, the wives thought father involvement with the kids and participation in household work are all inter-related and worked together to improve marital quality," said Adam Galovan, lead author of the study and a researcher at the University of Missouri, in Columbia. "They think being a good father involves more than just doing things involved in the care of children."

Galovan found that wives feel more cared for when husbands are involved with their children, yet helping out with the day-to-day responsibilities of running the household also matters.

But Galovan was surprised to find that how husbands and wives specifically divide the work doesn't seem to matter much. Husbands and wives are happier when they share parenting and household responsibilities, but the chores don't have to be divided equally, according to the study. What matters is that both parents are actively participating in both chores and child-rearing.

Doing household chores and being engaged with the children seem to be important ways for husbands to connect with their wives, and that connection is related to better relationships, Galovan explained.

The research was recently published in the Journal of Family Issues.

For the study, the researchers tapped data from a 2005 study that pulled marriage licenses of couples married for less than one year from the Utah Department of Health. Researchers looked at every third or fourth marriage license over a six-month period.

From that data, Galovan surveyed 160 couples between 21 and 55 years old who were in a first marriage. The majority of participants -- 73 percent -- were between 25 and 30 years old. Almost 97 percent were white. Of participants, 98 percent of the husbands and 16 percent of the wives reported they were employed full time, while 24 percent worked part time. The average couple had been married for about five years, and the average income of the participants was between $50,000 and $60,000 a year.

Couples indicated which spouse was generally responsible for completing 20 common household tasks -- or if both or neither of them were responsible. Fathers rated their involvement in their children's lives and mothers noted how involved they felt their husbands were with the kids. Both spouses rated how happy they were with how they divided household tasks and with their marriage.

Men and women differed in how they reported marital quality. For wives, the father-child relationship and father involvement was most important, followed by satisfaction with how the household work was accomplished.

For husbands, satisfaction with the division of family work came first, followed by their wife's feelings about the father-child relationship, and then the degree of involvement the dad had with his children.

For her part, Laurie Gerber, president of Handel Group Life Coaching in New York City, said the study rings true. Women really appreciate getting hands-on help at home, but men don't realize this intuitively because they see things very differently, she said. "If a man wants to get into his wife's good graces he should do a chore," she said. "If a woman wants to get into a man's good graces, she should jump him."

A study published earlier this year in American Sociological Review showed that married men who spend more time doing traditional household tasks reported having less frequent sex than do husbands who stick to more traditional masculine jobs, such as gardening or home repair. While women like getting help, doing too many of the chores may inadvertently turn the husband into more of a helpmate than a lover, the research found.

Rather than basing the choice of chores on traditional roles, Gerber recommends that tasks be divided based on both who cares most about getting the particular job done and who is best at it. "My husband doesn't care if my kids have matching outfits on and I don't care about getting the oil changed," she said. Couples need to sit down and discuss who will be primarily responsible for what. "That stops fights and clears so much air."

For Gerber, it's critical to try not to be influenced by how you were raised, what your culture says you should do or what the gender stereotyping says, but rather, by what you think is right. "Marriage is all about being there for the other person and you work as a team to get the job of the family done," she said.

More information

Learn more about parenting from the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

SOURCES: Adam Galovan, M.S., doctoral student, University of Missouri, Columbia; Laurie Gerber, president, Handel Group Life Coaching, New York City; March 8, 2013, Journal of Family Issues, online